Don't do the two night Gray Line tour to Capadoccia. It was BEYOND THE WORST EXPERIENCE. We cut it short after the first day. We actually wished we could have gone back to the airport right after we were dumped in town. We lost money, but it was worth it to get out of Capadoccia. We hated the whole tour. There was so much smoking and terrible air, we couldn't breathe. We did take the balloon ride. It was somewhat fun. It was very dangerous getting into and out of the balloon though. Our pilot (or whatever he was called) didn't do a very good job of landing on the particular spot. He just dragged us along the ground. There are too many balloons up there at once to actually enjoy yourselves though. We have no idea why anybody would want to visit such a dirty location, in more ways than one.

I can't recommend a tour but I can tell you that the previous poster is probably the minority opinion on Cappadocia. She has posted several times here about how much she hated her time there - which I don't doubt was terrible - but that is n=1. There are plenty of places I loathed the first time I went there (Rome) that grew on me on subsequent trips. Sometimes you just have bad luck. For me Cappadocia was one of the highlights of a recent trip, and many would agree. We rented a car, stayed in Uchisar, saw a lot and wished we had more time. I personally would never take an organized tour though, in Cappadocia or anywhere else.

Thanks for your feedback. I will be flying from Istanbul to Kayseri and taking a shuttle to the hotel. The hotel is located in Goreme'Neveshir.
Is it possible to find your way around without a tour, no car?

I was surprised at the negative response you received. We had a wonderful time there. We took a one day tour (can't remember the name). We visited an underground city, hiked through a scenic valley, walked through a caravansarai, had lunch along a creek, visited a pottery site (the commercial part I liked least, but others enjoyed). It was a great tour and a full day. We couldn't have done it on our own. Ask at your hotel for recommendations.

I have not been in that part of Turkey, but relied on my Lonely Planet book for other areas (SW coastline). So I'll just list some companies for you that the book recommends, and you can check them out on the web: www.newgoreme.comwww.nomadtravel.com.trwww.turkishheritagetravel.com You'll also have no problems finding an outfitter once you get there.

We also love Capadoccia! For our trip we stayed at Esbelli Evi and the hotel staff arranged a driver for us for 2 days - we paid about $80 US per day. We thought that it was really worth it! He drove us to all of the best places to see in a very efficient manner. He didn't speak a lot of English but was able to point out significant sights. Even if you don't stay at Esbelli Evi I would imagine that almost any hotel could arrange a tour guide or driver for you.

I too am surprised that the first poster had such a disappointing experience. I have been to the Cappadocia area twice and I think it is charming with a lot to see and do. The underground city, hot air balloons, shopping, hiking, etc. many nice restaurants..my favorite is Ziggy. My first trip was with 5 friends I met on the RS Istanbul in 7 Days Tour and we couldn't leave Turkey due to ash from the volcano in Iceland. We had a wonderful two full day tour and stayed at the Greek House. It was comfortable and the food was delicious. I believe any hotel could arrange a tour after your arrival. I would suggest
you e-mail them regarding airport pickup and tour arrangements.

I can't recommend a specific tour, but I will say that Capadoccia is one of my favorite places in Turkey. I've been several times. It's a unique blend of history and natural features you won't find anywhere else in the world. If you have the option, consider renting a car, getting a basic map and self touring. There are top notch sites that don't get many visitors that are easy to see with a car on your own. Good luck!

Cappadocia was without a doubt the highlight of out 2 week trip to Turkey. We spent 3 full days and 4 nights and wish we could have stayed longer. Though easy to do most of the trips with the car. I will highly recommend the tours. They are well planned and cheap. They are given by tour guides who truly love their job and some of them are students in the local tourist school so do these tours to get some extra cash they are enthusiastic and full of helpful information. We took three tours. Which were arranged by the hotel we stayed in Goreme.What we realized hough all tour companies run the exact same tours and they are called the same as well. I will recommend on DAY 1 Red tour which coversGöreme open air museum, Çavu?in village, Avanos, Pa?aba?, Devrent valley, Ürgüp. Day 2 Cappadocia Green Tour Which covers Derinkuyu underground city, Ihlara valley on a 3.5 km hike. Göreme panorama, Belis?rma village, village of Yaprakhisar, which is famous for its lunar landscape resembling that of the Star Wars.Pigeon valley with its famous pigeon holes cut into the rock. Day 3 start the morning with the hot air balloon ride. I know it is expensive but you will not regret it ! It was 2 hours of utter Joy ! bite the bullet spend the bucks and go for it! Spend time exploring the village of Goreme the shops. You will not get better quality and cheaper things anywhere in Turkey! During the day you can go on a horse riding tour and spend a couple of hours exploring the valleys.
You can end the day with a whirling dervish show at the Sarihan Caravanserai every night which starts at 9PM it is very touristy but an interesting end to the day. Enjoy!